Tigner, who launched Trigger Happy Firearm Instruction in November, told the paper she had to expand room in her classes, which sold out after promoting them through social media.

“The growth of these classes – I never expected it,” she told the newspaper. “It shows me how unsafe these women feel in their communities.”

Stacy Washington — a conservative African-American columnist suspended last week by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch after she defended the National Rifle Association from comparisons to ISIS — also noted a trend of more minority women learning how to use guns.

“I believe the reason we’re seeing more women of color joining this movement to use firearms is because they’re realizing this is not a political issue,” Washington told Fox News. “It really never has been. It’s about personal safety and protection.”